Eleven different wild-edible mushroom species growing in the Black Sea region of Turkey were analysed for their metal content. Specimens of mushrooms were gathered in Trabzon, Giresun and Ordu and analyzed for 31 minerals, four of which (Be, Sb, Te and Ti) were not detected. Whereas some minerals including Ag, As, Cd, La, Mo, Pb, Se, Y and Zr were detected in just a few mushroom species, another 18 minerals were found in all 11 species. All metal concentrations were expressed on a dry weight basis (d.w.). With regard to nutritionally important amounts of essential and trace minerals, the metal content (µg/g d.w.) of mushroom samples ranged from 21,800-39,800 for K, 2590-14,000 for P, 268-1600 for Ca, 561-1210 for Mg, 74-829 for Fe, 11.2-321 for Cu, 36.2-241 for Zn, 14.1-76.5 for Mn and 0.13-2.85 for Co. Small amounts of toxic metals such as As, Cd and Pb were found in all 11 mushroom species. L. laccata contained a large amount of As (145 µg/g d.w.). These results show that the investigated mushrooms can be a useful component for human diets because of their high content of many essential minerals and trace elements and low content of toxic metals

The fatty acid and amino acid compositions of 11 mushroom species commonly consumed were collected from the East Black Sea region of Turkey and analyzed. All species were characterized by a high content of linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) and glutamic acid. The highest content of linoleic acid (78.0%) and glutamic acid (29.4 μg/mg dry weight [d.w.]) was found in Agaricus arvensis and the lowest in Cantharellus tubaeformis, 19.8% and 10.9 μg/mg d.w., respectively. The average content of amino acids for all species was 148 μg/mg d.w. Overall, these results demonstrate that the 11 different kinds of wild edible mushrooms gathered from the region represent substantial sources of fatty acids and amino acids that are essential in the diet of humans. Quality of the mushroom protein compares favorably with the FAO/WHO Standard. The present study demonstrates that macrofungi from the East Black Sea region (Turkey) are a good source of many nutrients essential to human well-being.